Bosnian Serbs threaten secession over Kosovo

Bosnian Serb lawmakers have threatened to hold a referendum on secession from Bosnia if a majority of U.N. member states and the European Union recognise Kosovo’s independence.

The parliament of the Serb Republic adopted a resolution late on Thursday branding Kosovo’s declaration of independence an illegal act that violated Serbia’s territorial integrity.

It warned that Kosovo’s recognition by major powers was setting a new international precedent.

“The People’s Assembly of Republika Srpska therefore considers that it has the right to determine its stance about its state and legal status through a direct vote by a referendum,” it said in the resolution.